Paul Quinn sentenced to 21 years after DNA clears Andrew Malkinson in 2003 rape case

Paul Quinn, 52, received a 21-year prison sentence on Friday for a rape committed 23 years ago. Another man was wrongly convicted for the same crime in a case seen as a major UK justice failure. Quinn was convicted in April after a six-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Representative image

The sentence includes 21 years in custody and a further three years on an extended licence. Quinn will be released under strict conditions during that period. Quinn can apply for parole after 14 years. "You sat back and enjoyed your liberty at the expense of an innocent man,\" Justice Robert Bright told Quinn.

UK miscarriage of justice case and Andrew Malkinson conviction

Andrew Malkinson, 60, had the conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2023. The 2003 attack involved a 33-year-old woman in Greater Manchester. The woman identified Malkinson in a police line-up. The judge later called the woman heroic for giving evidence twice.

Malkinson worked as a security guard at a local shopping centre at the time. A court convicted Malkinson in 2004 and imposed a minimum term of seven years. Malkinson kept saying Malkinson was innocent. That stance led to 10 extra years in prison, making 17 years served.

DNA evidence in UK miscarriage of justice case

New genetic methods helped change the case outcome. Malkinson’s lawyers and the legal charity Appeal found Quinn’s DNA. The DNA appeared on fragments of the victim’s clothing. The evidence linked Quinn to the rape. Quinn had been 29 at the time of the attack.

At sentencing, the court heard Quinn had a long history of sexual offending. Quinn had been a sex offender from the age of 12. After Malkinson left prison in 2020, the conviction still carried lasting effects. Malkinson’s name remained on Britain’s sex offenders register.

Compensation and inquiry after UK miscarriage of justice case

Malkinson is seeking recompense from British authorities for the years spent in prison. \"While Andy is relieved this chapter of his ordeal is now closed, it is not the end of this matter as far as he is concerned,\" said Toby Wilton, of law firm Hickman & Rose, which represents Malkinson.

\"Andy is still fighting to persuade the government to overhaul the scheme by which the victims of miscarriages of justice receive nowhere near the compensation they deserve.\" A public inquiry is now under way. A 2024 review found failings that may have cleared Malkinson a decade earlier.

After the review, scrutiny widened to several agencies involved in the case. Five former Greater Manchester Police officers and one serving officer are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The chair and chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission resigned. Greater Manchester Police later apologised to Malkinson.

With inputs from PTI